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Scripture: Isaiah 53:1-12
"But he was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed."
Song: He Looked Beyond My Fault and Saw My Need
I shall never forget my interviews with Dottie Rambo, a gracious soul who gladly shared the stories behind her wonderful songs. To date she has penned approximately 2,500, many of which are standards, and classics. Some people have even compared her to the great Fanny Crosby who wrote so many of the songs we have sung in church for years -- song such as "Blessed Assurance," "Rescue the Perishing," and "To God Be the Glory," to name a few.
She started her songwriting and singing career as a mere child. She was married at age sixteen and a year and one half later she was a mother -- Reba was born. By age three Reba was singing with her famous parents. During those early formative years Dottie had to leave Reba in the care of others in order to travel to distant cities to sing in concerts and for church meetings. That was especially difficult for Dottie who later confessed that she desperately wanted to be there to help Reba with school chores, be a part of the PTA, and to do all of the things moms do
for their children. To put it in her words, "It was torture," not to be able to do those things.
The day finally came when Reba was happily made a part of the family trio, The Rambos. They became very famous with their recordings and concerts. Dottie was a part, either with the family group or as a soloist, of seventy albums of songs. Thousands of singers have recorded her music -- the very famous, the near famous, and multitudes of others who have great aspirations. Some of the famous include Whitney Houston, Elvis Presley, George Beverly Shea, Sandi Patty, Barbara Mandrell and the Bill Gaither Homecoming Friends.
Many awards and recognitions have come her way, including numerous Grammy and Dove Awards. She was named Songwriter of the Century by the CGMA, and is now a member of the Gospel Music Hall of Fame and the Southern Gospel Music Hall of Fame.
A crushing sorrow in the life of Dottie Rambo gave birth to her most famous song. Following is her own story as she related it to me:
"My brother was a sinner boy. He had never been a Christian, but he and I were very close. We double-dated when we were young, although he was two years older. He would always come to hear me sing, but would leave before the invitation of the service.
"During the time I was writing this particular song, Eddy was dying with cancer. He had become a very wicked boy, but I loved him very much. So, I went to the hospital to see him. They had brought him to Nashville to die. I went into the room, a ward that he shared with another man. I pulled the curtain around his bed and sat down and began to talk to him. I said, "Darling, the doctors say unless a miracle happens, or unless this drug works, you have only about five or six weeks to live."
"None of my family would tell him. I knew he was lost, and I decided along with my mother that I must level with him. He began to cry and said, ‘But Sis, I’ve been so wicked. I’ve been in prison. I’ve been a gambler and a thief and everything that goes along with all of that. I am just too wicked for God to save me.’ I started witnessing to Eddy and praying with him. But he could find no peace."
"A few days later, as I sat alone in a rocking chair in my living room at home, praying for Eddy, the Lord impressed on me that he wanted to give me some words for Eddy. The lyrics began to come."
"I went back to the hospital to visit Eddy and said, "Darling, I have some words for you." [By then she had the melody, an old English tune. I stood over his bed and looked down on my brother who, by this time, weighed only sixty-five pounds. I started to sing "Amazing grace shall always be my song of praise." He started to weep and wanted me to write the words down. I did so and left them with him."
"A few days later, I went to Cleveland, Tennessee, to sing in a Baptist church. I asked them to pray for Eddy. Following the music, at about eleven o’clock, the minister began to speak... I thought of Eddy, but the tears were not there. All of a sudden, I sensed that Eddy was fine. A beautiful peace came over me. The Lord just seemed to let me know that Eddy was okay."
"The next day I returned to Nashville and went to see Eddy, but they had taken him home to spend his final days. I walked into his room and said, ‘I have some good news. I want to tell you something.’ He said, 'Sis, before you do, I want to tell you something. Yesterday at about eleven o’clock, I really found my peace with God.'"
"The Lord had really saved him. My song became alive to me. I realized what God had done. I began to tell Eddy about love and what the love of God had done. God's love is so far beyond us. I told him about the thief on the cross beside Jesus, who was saved and had no chance to have a personal testimony or to even be baptized. Yet Jesus said to him, 'This day thou shalt be with me in Paradise.'"
To this day, in spite of ten back surgeries and enormous bouts with pain, Dottie Rambo continues to crisscross the nation, singing for the Savior. She states on her web site, "These are wonderful blessings from the great Lord above, and I owe everything back to Him. My daily goal in life is to serve Him and share with the many hurting and wounded people in this world the wonderful message of God's great and unconditional love."
Reflection:
In spite of all we do, no matter how hard we try, we can never understand why the Lord would love us so—why he would express it and show it to us in so many ways.
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Written: 03/01/2006 
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Behind the Songs
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